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New  art  of  using  dry  flies  that  imitate  American  Trout-Stream  Insects 

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HOW  TO  FISH  THE  DRY  FLY 
FLOATING   ON   THE   SURFACE 

ALSO 

HOW  TO  FISH  VARIOUS  NYMPHS 
FROM  THE  BOTTOM  UPWARDS 

WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY 

LOUIS  RHEAD 


Sfew   art   of  bottom   fishing   \vith   nymphs   copied   from   Natural   Insects 

PRICE    50c 

Sent  Postpaid  on  receipt  of  price 


er 


Edward  J.  Mills  Ex-Champion  Dry  Fly  Caster  on  the  Stream 


HOW  TO  FISH  -  DRY  FLY 

DESCRIBING  THE  LATEST  UP-TO-DATE  NECESSARY 

TACKLE,    ITS    COST,    AND     WHERE    TO    GET    IT 

AND     THE     PROPER     METHOD     OF     USING     IT. 

A    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE   AMERICAN 

AND     ENGLISH    DRY    FLIES 

ALSO 

HOW  TO  FISH  VARIOUS  NYMPHS 

FROM  THE    BOTTOM    UPWARDS    IN   PLACE    OF 

WORMS  IF  TROUT  DO  NOT  RESPOND  TO  FLIES 

EARLY   IN   THE    SEASON    OR 

DURING   THE    LATE 

SUMMER 

By 

LOUIS 
(RHEAD 

AUTHOR      OF 

TROUT  STREAM  INSECTS      ::       BOOK  OF  FISH  AND  FISHING 
FISHERMAN'S  LURES  AND  GAME  FISH  FOOD 


PRIVATELY  PRINTED  AND  ISSUED   BY 

LOUIS  RHEAD,  217  OCEAN  AVENUE,  BROOKLYN,  N.  Y.,  U.S. A 


CONTENTS 

How  TO  FISH  DRY  FLY 5 

DRY  FLY  TACKLE 8 

The   Rod    8 

Some   "Don'ts"  Regarding  Rods 8 

The  Reel    9 

The  Line    10 

Points  on  the  Care  of  Line 11 

The    Leader    12 

Points  on  Care  of  Leaders 12 

THE  DRY  FLY  ITSELF 13 

Fly  Attachment  to  Leader 14 

Flies  Most  Suitable  for  Surface  Fishing 14 

What  Fly  Shall  We  Choose? 14 

Dry   Fly   Methods — Casting 15 

Casting    Up    Stream    and    Across 16 

Fishing  the  Rising  Trout 17 

Fishing  Where  Trout  Are  Not  Rising 18 

Cross  Currents — Line  Dragging 18 

Dry  and  Wet  Fishing  Compared 19 

How  TO  FISH  THE  NYMPH 21 

Bottom  Lures  for  Trout.  .  27 


Copyright,  1921,  by  Louis  Rhead 


HOW  TO  FISH  DRY  FLY 


A7  M10  A 10.  M2. 

How  to  Fish  Dry  Flies  that  Imitate  American  Trout  Stream  Insects 

The  Floating  Fly  is  More  Widely  Known 

The  dry  fly  has  made  rapid  strides  in  the  estimation  of 
American  trout  fishermen  during  the  last  ten  years,  so  that 
the  new  art  is  now  widely  known  all  over  the  continent, 
although  it  is  not,  as  yet,  practiced  to  any  great  extent, 
for  the  reason  that  method  and  special  tools  have  not  been 
fully  described  in  a  simple  manner.  I  believe  every  thought- 
ful trout  angler  wants  to  acquire  the  latest  and  best  up-to- 
date  information  about  dry  fly  fishing  so  that  he  may  learn 
to  test  his  skill  in  this  most  satisfying  branch  in  the  art 
of  angling. 

The  object  of  this  little  booklet  is  to  give  a  detailed, 
easily  understood  definition  of  the  dry  fly  in  compact  form 
as  a  handy  guide,  to  describe  exclusively  how  the  art  may 
be  practised  on  American  streams  with  dry  flies  copied 
from  native  insects  without  any  reference  whatever  to 
methods  used  on  British  streams;  this  field  has  been  so  well 
covered,  not  only  by  eminent  English  writers,  Halford  and 
others,  but  also  by  two  expert  American  anglers,  Emlyn 
M.  Gill  and  George  M.  L.  La  Branche,  who  have  described 
their  views  with  great  detail  and  compared  the  difference 
in  the  method  pursued  in  England,  as  well  as  by  themselves 
on  our  own  streams.  If  it  is  the;  readers'  desire  to  go  fur- 
ther, and  study  the  art  more  thoroughly  from  the  British 
standpoint,  they  should  get  Halford's  books  from  England, 
and  read  "Practical  Dry  Fly  Fishing,"  by  Emlyn  M.  Gill, 

^816514 


"The  Dry  Fly  and  Fast  Water,"  by  George  M.  L.  La  Branche, 
both  will  be  found  valuable  to  the  angler  in  showing  the 
adaptability  of  the  dry-fly  method  to  American  streams. 
Both  books  are  published  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New 
York.  However,  to  be  just  with  my  readers,  it  is  only 
right  they  should  know  that  these  two  books  were  issued 
in  1914,  two  years  before  any  classified  list  of  Amer- 
ican trout  insects  had  been  made,  or  my  book  on  American 
trout  stream  insects  had  been  published.  So  that  their 
books  exclusively  refer  to  their  use  of  English  type  dry  flies. 
On  page  41,  in  "Practical  Dry  Fly  Fishing,"  the  author 
says:  "Whether  English  dry  flies  tied  to  resemble  English 
insects,  imitate  exactly  in  all  points  similar  insects  common 
to  American  streams  is  a  mooted  question."  This  mooted 
question  has  been  settled  by  the  writer  who  has  proved  that 
English  dry  flies  do  not  resemble  in  size,  color,  or  form 
any  of  the  American  trout  stream  insects.  Some  English 
insects  are  similar  to  American,  but  there  is  always  a  differ- 
ence in  size  or  color  of  the  artificial  flies. 

The  strictly  consistent  rule  laid  down  both  by  American 
and  British  dry  fly  experts  is,  whatever  dry  fly  is  used,  it 
must  exactly  imitate  the  species  of  insect  that  trout  are  then 
taking  as  food,  or  at  least  the  insects  visible  at  the  time 
on  the  water.  If  the  reader  has  studied  the  "charts"  in 
Trout  Stream  Insects,  he  will,  to  a  certain  extent,  know  at 
any  time  what  kind  of  insects  are  likely  to  be  rising  by  the 
period,  temperature  and  time  of  day.  The  writer  has  prac- 
tised dry  fly  fishing  more  or  less  for  twenty-five  years  past, 
but  not  exclusively — his  views  being  too  broad  to  entirely 
ignore  the  great  advantages -of  wet  fishing,  or  even  live  bait 
and  artificial  lures  on  American  streams. 

There  is  no  question  whatever  that  the  English  dry  fly 
will  seduce  American  trout,  especially  Fontinalis,  fario  and 
irridius,  but  the  same  can  be  said  of  the  old  wet  style 
favorites,  and  the  new  style  nature  flies.  It  is  left  entirely 
to  the  angler's  judgment  whether  he  prefers  to  fish  with 
English  dry  flies  that  do  not  imitate  our  insects,  or  remains 
loyal  to  the  old  American  favorites  which  do  not  imitate 


insects,  although  now  tied  as  floating  flies  for  dry  fly  fishing, 
or,  that  he  prefers  to  make  a  trial  of  those  new  nature  flies 
tied  expressly  from  careful  pictures  of  living  American 
insects.  All  three  of  these  classes  of  flies  are  sold  by  Wm. 
Mills  &  Son,  Park  Place,  New  York  City. 


DRY  FLY  TACKLE-THE  ROD 

Casting  the  Fly  is  so  Extremely  Delicate 

The  method  of  fishing  with  dry  flies  is  so  extremely  deli- 
cate, artistic  and  precise,  that  it  is  almost  compulsory  to 
use  the  special  tools  now  made  for  it.  These  special  tools 
—rod,  reel,  line  and  leader  are  somewhat  more  expensive 
than  what  is  used  for  wet  fishing,  yet,  if  reasonable  care  is 
bestowed  on  them,  they  will  last  so  much  longer  as  to  be 
cheapest  in  the  end. 

When  you  buy  a  new  rod,  have  it  made  to  fit  yourself. 
The  length  and  weight  all  depends  upon  a  man's  physical 
power  and  build.  Generally  speaking,  the  short  man  re- 
quires a  three  to  four  ounce,  eight  and  a  half  foot  rod. 
Medium  size  man  fits  to  a  four  ounce,  nine  foot  rod.  The 
large,  heavy  man  can  use — if  so  desired — a  heavier  weight, 
but  anglers,  big  and  little,  buy  their  rods  no  longer  than 
nine  feet,  four  and  a  half  to  five  and  a  half  in  weight.  You 
cannot  cast  the  dry  fly  accurately,  or  far,  or  properly  handle 
a  heavy  fish  with  a  very  limber  rod  along  with  a  heavy 
weight  line. 

It  is  conceded  by  many  experts  that  Leonard  rods  are 
unapproached  for  dry  fly  fishing.  They  have  no  com- 
petitors in  lightness,  strength,  or  flexibility,  and  regular  pat- 
terns of  any  weight  or  length  are  made  suitable  for  both 
dry  and  wet  fishing.  If  the  amateur  buys  a  Leonard,  he 
should  order  the  mountings  oxidized  and  an  additional  agate 
guide  in  place  of  bottom  guide  on  the  butt  of  rod,  and  also 
agate  guides  on  the  two  tips  which  greatly  facilitates  cast- 
ing. The  price  of  these  rods  is  about  fifty  dollars. 

SOME  "DON'TS"  REGARDING  RODS 

Never  lay  your  expensive  rod  on  the  ground  while  ex- 
changing leader  or  flies;  if  you  don't  step  on  it,  an  obliging 
companion  will.  Place  the  rod  upright  against  bush  or  tree. 

Always  keep  joints  well  oiled  at  end  of  season;  if  they 
stick,  pull  out  without  twisting. 

8 


Don't  keep  one  tip  idle  till  the  other  is  worn 
out;  interchange  them  frequently.  Keep  both 
working. 

Take  rod  apart  as  soon  as  you  quit  fishing. 
Also  take  reel  off  for  easy  carrying. 

Go  through  heavy  bushes  with  tip  in  front, 
especially  if  leader  and  fly  are  in  use. 

Release  a  hooked  snag  with  line,  not  rod. 

Never  lend  or  borrow  favorite  rods.  If  tip 
is  injured  send  it  to  mender  at  once. 

When  climbing  a  fence  or  other  obstruction 
give  rod  precedence. 

DRY  FLY  TACKLE — THE  REEL 

In  dry  fly  fishing  the  right  kind  of  reel  is  of  the 
utmost  importance.  The  main  points  to  con- 
sider are:  Its  weight  should  properly  balance 
your  rod;  the  barrel  should  have  room  and  to 
spare  for  a  dry  fly  tapered  line.  The  click 
should  be  firm,  and  the  reel  should  fit  on  the  seat 
snug  and  tight  yet  be  easily  released.  It  should 
be  constantly  oiled,  kept  perfectly  iclean,  and 
handle  screws  thoroughly  tight.  A  very  service- 
able reel  is  the  Leonard  patent  trout  reel,  made 
in  the  raised  pillar  style,  light,  strong  and  of 
ample  line  capacity — much  lighter  in  weight  than 
the  larger  reels  made  in  the  old  round  plate  style. 
It  is  sold  by  Wm.  Mills,  price  $13.00.  They 
sell  another  more  expensive  reel,  specially  made, 
and  called  the  dry  fly  reel.  Price  $22.00. 


Fig.    1.      Rig 


Fig.  2.  Cast 
fly  just  above 
large  fish. 


Fig.   3.     Rig 
for  deep  water. 

9 


DRY  FLY  TACKLE-THE  LINE 

There  is  no  part  of  dry  fly  tackle  so  necessary  to  be  per- 
fect as  the  line;  you  depend  entirely  upon  its  perfect  work 
to  force  the  fly  through  the  air  and  alight  on  the  water 
like  thistledown.  Your  line  must  be  extremely  flexible,  yet 
of  a  weight  in  the  thicker  part  that  will  carry  well  in  the 
cast,  though  light  enough  at  the  taper  to  float  and  not  drag 
the  leader  under  water.  The  best  lines  are  soft  dressed, 
waterproof,  that  run  freely  through  the  guides.  It  must 
be  tapered  at  both  ends,  from  four  to  ten  feet.  A  really 
beautiful  line  feels  like  velvet;  it  should  never  crease  or 
get  sticky;  whatever  the  atmospheric  conditions  may  be,  it 
must  not  twist  or  kink  and  should  be  an  olive  or  light  brown 
tint,  with  a  smooth  dull  polish.  These  requirements  are 
necessary,  because  in  dry  fly  casting  the  line  is  continually 
running  back  or  forth  through  the  guides  much  more  than 
in  wet  fishing. 

American  experts  and  some  writers  advise  the  exclusive 
use  of  English  made  lines,  the  best  of  which  are  sold  in  this 
country  by  any  good  tackle  dealer.  The  price  runs  from 
eight  to  twelve  dollars,  and  even  higher. 

A  very  high-grade  soft  finish  dry  fly  line   is 
Mills'    double    tapered    "Intrinsic,"    prices    from 
$7.00  to  $8.50.    Sizes  are  G,  F,  E,  D,  the  heaviest 
being  D.     The   English   lines   are   designated  by 
letters  D,  E,  F,  the  latter  being  heavier  and  larger 
in  size.      It  is  therefore  essential  to 
have  line  weight  fit  to  weight  of  rod 

_^ — a  light  rod  to  a  light  weight  line— 

E  heavy  rod — heavy  line.  The  heavy 
line  is  the  best  suited  for  short  cast- 
ing. It  will  be  best  for  the  beginner 
to  understand  the  choice  of  both  line 
and  rod  is  personal  to  the  angler's 
build  and  strength  of  arm.  The 
tapered  dry  fly  line  can  be  used  for 

10 


wet  fishing;  indeed,  the  old  style  flat  line  should  be  entirely 
discarded  for  any  kind  of  fly  casting. 

POINTS  ON  THE  CARE  OF  LINE 

The  first  thing  is  to  have  your  line  wound  on  the  reel 
as  evenly  as  possible  and  see  to  it  being  unwound  as  far 
as  the  line  has  been  wetted  and  carefully  dried  every  time 
you  quit  fishing.  Don't  rub  on  deer  fat  or  other  grease 
to  a  new  line  to  make  it  float  better.  After  considerable 
use,  day  after  day,  the  line  becomes  somewhat  waterlogged, 
and  deer  fat  does  make  it  float  better,  but  several  English 
experts  have  lately  stated  that  deer  or  other  animal  fat  is 
injurious — which  coincides  with  my  own  experience.  They 
suggest  some  chemical  called  "Mucilin,"  which  does  not 
injure  the  dressing — yet  it  floats  the  line — also  the  fly.  I  be- 
lieve the  best  way  is  to  hang  the  line  in  the  sun  and  wind 
to  thoroughly  dry  it.  Mucilin  is  sold  in  tins  by  Wm.  Mills 
&  Son. 

If  the  line  is  in  use  a  good  deal  it  is  wise  to  alternate 
the  use  of  both  ends.  If  the  hook  is  fouled  on  rock  or 
stump  make  every  effort  to  save  line  breakage;  far  better 
to  break  at  leader,  because  the  tapered  end  is  made  so  fine 
as  to  be  about  the  thickness  of  attached  leader;  even  a  few 
inches  of  lost  line  is  a  great  disadvantage  and  for  that 
reason  the  tie  to  leader  must  be  made  to  easily  untie.  With 
reasonable  care  the  life  of  a  good  line  is  prolonged.  When 
the  end  of  the  line  loses  its  covering  of  dressing  by  frequent 
tying,  don't  cut  an  inch  or  two  away,  making  it  a  less  effec- 
tive line;  you  can  remedy  the  trouble  by  using  a  small  brush 
and  revarnish  it  with  valspar. 


11 


DRY  FLY  TACKLE-THE  LEADER 

Dry  fly  leaders  should  have  a  gradual  taper  from  thick 
to  fine,  and  made  of  extra  long-length  gut,  furnished  with 
one  small  loop  at  line  end,  the  other  thin  end  being  left 
unlooped  to  be  tied  with  a  knot  to  eyed  fly.  The  weight 
of  gut  depends  on  weight  of  line  and  rod — either  light, 
medium,  or  heavy.  The  length  of  leader  should  measure 
from  tip  to  middle  of  rod  handle  grasp  so  that  you  can  hold 
the  fly  with  same  hand  that  grasps  the  rod.  Good  tapered 
leaders  cost  about  sixty  cents,  superfine  leaders  made  of 
special  gut  will  cost  a  little  more.  Preparatory  to  fishing, 
a  number  of  leaders  should  be  placed  in  a  box  carefully 
coiled,  between  damp  felt,  so  that  when  used  the  leader 
will  fly  out  straight  at  the  first  cast,  and  the  damp  gut  makes 
a  more  secure  tie  to  the  fly. 

POINTS  ON  CARE  OF  LEADERS 

Dry  your  leaders  after  the  day's  fishing  is  done — they 
weaken  if  kept  constantly  wet.  If  leader  breaks  don't  loop 
them  together;  learn  to  tie  a  secure  knot,  and  tie  it  only 
when  the  gut  is  thoroughly  wet.  Don't  loop  gut  to  fly- 
learn  the  proper  knot  attachment  here  illustrated. 

Test  your  leaders.  Discard,  or  retie  any  frays  or  weak 
parts.  For  dry  fly  casting  it  pays  to  buy  new  leaders  every 
season.  Beware  of  leaders  which  taper  too  fine  if  the  fish 
you  capture  are  likely  to  weigh  over  a  pound,  especially  in 
turbulent  water. 

I  have  found  it  to  be  much  more  convenient  to  buy  gut 
by  the  different  size  hanks,  and  tie  my  own  leaders.  In  so 
doing  the  angler  suits  his  own  requirements,  exactly  as  to 
length  and  thickness,  as  well  as  a  saving  of  considerable 
expense,  and  will  be  found  of  especial  advantage  by  all 
anglers  living  far  from  up-to-date  tackle  shops. 


12 


THE  DRY  FLY  ITSELF 

The  reader  will  now  perceive  that  fine,  delicate  dry  fly 
casting  requires  the  angler  to  be  fitted  with  a  properly 
balanced  rod  that  is  flexible,  light,  yet  strong,  a  free  run- 
ning reel  of  proper  weight,  a  line  that  tapers  down  to 
thickness  of  leader,  and  leader  that  tapers  fine  to  the 
fly  to  make  it  speed  through  the  air  without  obstruction, 
then  drop  gently  on  the  water  as  near  as  possible  like 
that  of  the  natural  insect.  I  consider  it  a  waste  of  the 
reader's  time  to  give  details  of  who  invented  the  dry  fly, 
or  a  list  of  so-called  experts  who  have  practised  and  written 
down  their  opinions  of  what  are  the  best  dry  or  wet  flies  to 
most  surely  seduce  trout.  Indeed,  such  a  situation  seems 
to  be  comical  in  the  extreme  to  quote  the  various  opinions 
(both  domestic  and  foreign)  of  what  fly  is  best,  for  the 
very  reason  that  the  most  experienced  angler  on  earth  is 
unable  to  tell  in  advance  of  arrival  at  the  stream — ivhat 
insect  is  on  the  wing,  any  more  than  he  can  foretell  if  it  will 
rain  tomorrow.  When  certain  species  of  insects  do  rise  to 
float  down  along  the  surface  in  vast  or  small  numbers,  then 
it  is  that  trout  are  attracted  and  visibly  feed.  If  we  are 
consistent  in  our  belief  of  the  dry  fly  method,  it  is  then 
only  we  can  surely  tell  which  dry  or  wet  fly  is  best. 

It  is  sheer  buncombe  for  experts  to  give  a  list  of  their 
favorites.  All  flies  are  favorites  to  trout  at  their  period  of 
rising.  The  reason  I  capture  more  trout  on  the  shad  fly, 
cowdung,  yellow  sally  and  brown  drake,  is  because  their  rise 
extends  through  April,  May  and  June,  while  some  others 
rise  but  a  few  days. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  amateur  who  never  cast  a  fly, 
and  the  wet  angler  who  honestly  seeks  to  rightly  know  just 
what  difference  there  is  between  a  wet  and  dry  fly,  my 
answer  is,  the  artificial  dry  fly  has  the  upward  wings  split 
open — mostly  curving  outwards — often  having  wing  feathers 
doubled  to  make  them  stiff  and  float  better.  The  hackle  is 
tied  more  bushy,  partly  pushed  forward  beyond  the  hook- 
eye. 

13 


FLY  ATTACHMENT  TO  LEADER 

All  the  best  dry  flies  are  made  on  eyed  hooks — none  are 
made  with  a  snell  lashed  to  hook.  Flies  fastened  to  leaders 
by  a  loop  is  fatal  to  a  feathery  cast,  so  that  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  learn  how  to  properly  attach  gut-end  to  eyed 
hook  with  a  neat,  firm  knot. 

FLIES  MOST  SUITABLE  FOR  SURFACE  FISHING 

The  two  principal  classes  of  natural  insects  are  defined 
in  my  book,  "Trout  Stream  Insects,"  as  drakes  and  duns. 
Each  have  their  wings  in  exactly  opposite  positions,  the 
drakes  have  wings  raised  from,  and  erect  above  the  shoul- 
ders, and  after  they  have  risen  from  the  bed  to  the  surface 
of  the  stream,  they  always  float.  The  duns  have  wings 
hanging  from,  and  below  the  shoulders.  They  do  not  rise 
to  the  surface  and  float,  but  the  natural  dun  creeper  travels 
along  the  bed  to  the  river  side  then  climbs  upon  rocks  and 
vegetation,  where  they  emerge  into  the  perfect  insect,  alight- 
ing on  any  object  but  the  water's  surface.  To  be  consistent, 
to  follow  nature,  as  all  dry  fly  purists  say  you  must,  it  is 
perfectly  clear  that  drakes  are  the  only  insects  we  should 
imitate  to  use  as  dry  flies,  and  the  duns  copied  to  fish  wet. 
Nevertheless,  if  the  angler  so  desires,  with  the  aid  of  dry 
fly  tools  and  methods,  any  fly,  erect  or  lapwing,  can  be 
made  to  float  long  enough  for  trout  to  seize  it  with  the  aid 
of  a  dash  of  paraffin  by  an  angler  of  ordinary  skill. 

WHAT  FLY  SHALL  WE  CHOOSE? 

When  we  arrive  at  the  stream,  the  first  problem  to  solve 
is  what  artificial  fly  to  use;  for  the  beginner  this  problem 
is  the  most  difficult  and  requires  time  and  study.  First  we 
look  over  the  water,  the  runways,  eddies,  lines  of  bubbles 
to  find  out  what  insects  are  on  the  surface;  the  size,  the 
color,  if  possible,  what  species  of  insect.  If  insects  are  flying 
in  the  air,  capture  one.  Note  the  color  of  its  upper  and 
under  tail,  its  shoulders,  color  of  feet  and  wings;  then  pull 
from  your  box  of  flies  the  nearest  imitations  of  it.  I  leave 

14 


entirely  to  the  angler  himself  what  his  previous  choice  in 
the  tackle  shop  should  be,  either  of  Halford's  English  flies, 
or  Rhead's  American  nature  flies.  The  charts  in  "Trout 
Stream  Insects"  give  a  list  of  the  most  abundant  insects  that 
appear  for  each  month  of  the  season.  There  are  many 
other  species  not  mentioned  in  the  chart  which  are  almost 
the  same.  Should  you  find  no  drakes  or  upwing  insects  float- 
ing on  the  surface  and  that  a  greater  number  of  duns  or 
lapwing  insects  are  on  the  wing,  you  can  fish  dry  with  a 
dun  fly  like  the  natural  insect  you  see,  or  fish  the  duns  wet 
with  two  or  more  flies,  till  later  on  when  you  see  drakes 
floating,  then  fish  with  dry  fly  imitations.  The  beginner 
at  first  has  to  be  under  the  guidance  of  tackle  shop  advice, 
which  is  rarely  good,  with  one  notable  exception,  that  is, 
Wm.  Mills  &  Son,  who  have  several  members  of  the  firm 
practical  anglers  of  experience  and  talented  fly  tyers. 

It  is  quite  different  with  the  wet  angler  of  experience. 
He  is  familiar  with  at  least  the  old  American  favorites, 
and  is  well  able  to  select  a  good  stock  of  dry  flies  to  start 
with  in  practising  the  newer  method. 

DRY  FLY  METHODS — CASTING 

The  principal  theory  of  dry  fly  angling  is  simply  that  of 
delicately  casting  an  artificial  fly  to  the  surface  so  that  it 
will  float  along  with  wings  erect,  or  "cocked,"  over  a  rising 
trout,  or  in  places  where  trout  are  supposed  to  lie.  As  trout 
almost  invariably  choose  to  lie  underneath  swift  water, 
generally  a  few  feet  below  large  rocks  where  the  water  flow 
is  curbed,  the  rule  is  to  cast  up  stream  against  the  flow 
of  water  about  three  feet  above  the  fish,  permitting  the  fly 
to  float  without  drag  or  ripple  over  the  fish,  to  then  lift  the 
fly  up  from  the  water  without  wetting  it.  In  a  long,  deep 
placid  pool,  trout  lie  with  head  up  stream  and  they  should 
always  be  fished  up  from  tail  end  of  pool.  There  is  abso- 
lutely nothing  for  the  expert  wet  fisherman  to  learn  in  cast- 
ing the  dry  fly  if  supplied  with  proper  tools  for  it.  It  is 
merely  a  change  of  method.  The  first  difference  is  that 
the  wet  fisherman  has  two  or  more  flies  on  the  leader,  the 

15 


dry  angler  has  but  one  fly.  The  preliminary  dry  cast  is 
performed  by  holding  the  rod  upright,  the  right  hand  is 
moved  slowly  back  and  forth  while  the  left  hand  continually 
draws  more  line  from  the  reel  and  the  fly  is  kept  in  the  air 
till  sufficient  line  is  out  for  the  fly  to  reach  the  desired  place 
you  wish  to  have  it  drop  on  the  surface,  which  is  usually  a 
few  feet  above  the  rising  trout,  when  a  slight  check  to  the 
line  should  be  made.  After  a  little  practice  you  can  keep 
a  fly  in  the  air  indefinitely  with  twenty  to  forty  feet  of  line 
out.  You  can  move  from  one  place  to  another  with  a  gentle 
motion  of  rod  top  making  the  fly  sail  through  the  air.  The 
rod  movement  must  be  slow  and  the  tip  descent  for  the  fly 
to  alight  slower  still.  The  tip  must  be  made  to  point 
exactly  to  a  couple  of  feet  above  the  desired  spot  and  careful 
calculations  made  as  to  the  distance  which  after  some  prac- 
tice becomes  remarkably  correct,  even  to  a  few  inches. 
Accuracy  is  the  most  important,  that  is,  to  place  the  fly  per- 
fectly, so  that  it  floats  exactly  over  the  fish,  a  difficult  feat 
that  only  comes  by  considerable  practice.  Safer  casting  is 
more  possible  if  you  are  wading,  without  back  impediments. 
Naturally,  the  fly  goes  as  far  back  as  it  does  in  front,  so 
that  must  always  be  carefully  considered. 

CASTING  UP  STREAM  AND  ACROSS 

In  deep  swift  rivers,  where  it  is  impossible  to  wade 
against  the  heavy  flow,  or  deep  water  prevents  wading  in 
the  stream,  you  should  cautiously  approach  the  tail  of  a 
rising  trout,  which  always  lies  with  head  up  stream.  Cast 
up  and  across  for  the  fly  to  float  down  till  you  see  it  begins 
to  sink.  Gather  in  surplus  line  to  enable  you  to  lift  the  fly 
clear  off  the  surface  back  in  the  air,  then,  with  a  waving 
motion  back  and  forth  several  times  to  dry  the  fly,  cast 
again.  Or,  if  you  prefer,  make  a  few  steps  forward  to 
cast.  You  will  cast  more  accurately,  cock  the  fly  better,  and 
keep  it  dry  by  making  short  casts  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet. 
A  long  cast  across  heavy  currents,  is  sure  to  cause  the  fly 
to  sink. 

16 


FISHING  THE  RISING  TROUT 

Trout  rise  spasmodically,  being  induced  to  rise  by  peri- 
odic gluts  of  floating  insects,  most  frequently  in  greater 
abundance  along  eddies  and  runways.  Under  these  run- 
ways trout  invariably  lie  in  selected  places  of  their  own, 
one  after  another  in  a  long  line,  the  larger  fish  being  where 
greater  numbers  of  insects  pass  over  them.  I  have  seen  a 
line  of  from  twenty  to  fifty  large  trout  all  rising  to  a  glut 
of  insects;  at  such  a  time  the  wet  angler  fails,  while  the 
dry  angler  with  the  correct  imitation  will  capture  one  after 
another  in  quick  succession,  by  choosing  a  situation  where 
he  can  easily  cast  to  the  larger  fish.  Should  it  happen  the 
first  choice  of  fly  is  not  taken,  try  the  same  on  another  fish, 
time  being  precious  to  change  flies.  If  trout  still  refuse  a 
fly  that  properly  floats,  then  put  on  a  smaller  fly.  Don't 
drive  them  from  feeding  with  too  frequent  or  careless  casts. 
Keep  below  them,  cast  short  and  light;  allow  the  fly  to 
float  as  long  as  possible,  lifting  off  in  the  most  delicate  man- 
ner, because  these  glut  rises  are  always  of  short  duration — 
never  more  than  thirty  minutes.  When  the  glut  rise  ends, 
it  is  useless  to  continue  fishing,  they  are  full  of  food  for 
the  time,  and  will  not  respond  to  your  efforts,  so  move  to 
another  place,  perhaps  to  luckily  find  another  insect  glut. 
For  those  large  solitary  fish,  generally  browns  or  rainbows, 
that  choose  to  haunt  places  just  below  submerged  rocks,  the 
floating  fly  is  most  effective,  and  if  you  can,  get  within  fifteen 
feet  to  make  short  casts  to  just  above  the  rock,  so  that  the 
fly  will  float  down  along  the  edge  of  rapid  water,  you  are 
bound  to  get  a  quick  response. 

In  easily  waded  little  rivers  like  the  Willowemoe  at 
De  Bruce,  where  trout  average  half  a  pound  or  under,  dry 
fly  fishing  is  comparatively  simple  by  wading  up  the  middle 
of  the  stream.  One  great  objection  to  it  is  by  using  small 
dry  flies  most  of  the  time  you  are  catching  so  many  under- 
sized fish.  Similar  conditions  to  worm  fishing,  except  your 
method  is  superior. 

17 


FISHING  WHERE  TROUT  ARE  NOT  RISING 

Glut  rises  are  not  frequent.  You  will  see  isolated  in- 
sects dropping  to  the  surface  almost  any  time,  then  periods 
occur  when  no  insects  are  on  the  surface  or  in  the  air.  These 
almost  barren  periods  occur  through  April,  after  the 
middle  of  June,  in  July  and  August,  with  notable  exceptions 
when  a  small  rise  of  duns  come  up,  mostly  afternoons  and 
evenings.  All  through  May  and  the  first  half  of  June  big 
rises  occur  every  day,  sometimes  of  several  species  at  once. 

When  barren  periods  occur,  if  you  have  some  little 
knowledge  of  trout  haunts,  you  can  try  to  induce  them  up 
to  the  surface  with  a  well  cocked  fly.  Make  a  test  at  such 
places  precisely  as  if  casting  to  rising  fish,  with  half  a  dozen 
casts  at  each  place.  The  proper  fly  to  choose  is  impossible 
to  tell  unless  you  have  studied  my  book  "Trout  Stream 
Insects,"  which  fully  describes  what  time  of  day  and  period 
of  season  the  various  insects  develop  and  rise  to  the  surface. 

Without  such  a  guide  you  can  choose  some  fly  that  will 
imitate  insects  seen  the  day  previous.  Failing  that  make 
tests,  and  change  your  flies  till  trout  do  respond.  Such  tests 
will  teach  you  more  and  be  of  greater  service  than  if  you 
pick  out  a  fly  from  some  "expert's"  favorite  list,  which,  if 
successful,  is  of  no  value  in  solving  the  problem.  What  is 
required  is  a  systematic  method  acquired  by  your  own 
practice. 

CROSS  CURRENTS — LINE  DRAGGING 

The  dry  fly  is  so  light  that  wind  and  current  make  it 
impossible,  at  times,  to  cast  a  long  distance  with  any  degree 
of  accuracy.  One  current  will  force  the  fly  down  to  you 
twice  as  rapidly  as  another  current  allows  the  heavy  line  to 
run,  thus — to  cause  the  line  to  belly  out,  forcing  the  fly  from 
the  course  intended,  to  rapidly  drown.  In  such  cases,  lift 
the  line  from  the  current,  recast,  if  possible,  a  shorter  line 
from  another  situation.  There  is  no  cure  for  a  dragging 
line  except  to  fish  where  the  current  assists  instead  of  inter- 

18 


fering.  On  very  windy  days,  it  is  far  easier  to  fish  down 
stream  with  wet  flies,  unless  the  wind  is  in  your  favor, 
blowing  up  stream.  But  winds  are  so  changeable  on  winding 
mountain  streams  that  the  dry  fly  can  be  laid  aside  till  ideal 
weather  returns. 

DRY  AND  WET  FISHING  COMPARED 

For  many  years  much  controversy  has  been  wasted  on 
the  subject  as  to  which  method  is  best,  and  latterly  as  to 
its  use  by  American  anglers  on  their  own  streams.  They 
are  here  compared  now  only  to  show  the  difference  as  to 
tackle  and  methods.  More  or  less,  about  seventy-five  per 
cent  of  American  anglers  fish  the  old  style  wet  fly  exclusively. 
More  than  half  of  them  use  indifferent  tackle,  flies  and 
method.  It  is  those  I  wish  to  reach  to  inform  them  how 
much  they  lose  in  their  sport,  and  how  easy  it  is  to  learn  a 
superior  style  in  the  art  of  fishing.  The  other  half,  scat- 
tered over  the  northern  zone,  are  doubtless  all  experts  in 
the  art  of  wet  fishing,  some  of  whom  I  know  want  the 
information  here  given. 

Many  dry  anglers  say  they  capture  larger  fish  by  that 
method  than  they  do  with  wet  flies.  I  am  convinced  by 
my  own  experience  of  dry  fly  fishing  there  is  more  real  sport, 
a  higher  art,  and  the  enjoyment  in  a  better  knowledge  of 
animated  nature  to  be  seen  along  a  trout  stream. 

Dry  fishing  has  several  advantages  over  wet,  the  most 
important  are  that  trout  leap  more  frequently,  and  you  may 
observe  trout  take  the  fly,  and  the  resistance  is  more  apt 
to  be  near  the  surface.  Your  interest  is  more  keen  when 
fishing  with  flies  like  the  insects  you  see,  and  in  time  you 
get  to  distinguish  one  from  another.  You  also  acquire  a 
better  knowledge  of  trout  habits,  ways  of  feeding,  and 
where  they  lie  in  wait  for  insects,  which  are  their  principal 
diet.  It  is  indeed  an  interesting  study  to  watch  the  transition 
from  the  creeper  state,  and  the  wonderful  development  into 
the  perfect  insect. 

The  method  of  casting  creates  a  desire  for  style  and 
accuracy,  drying  the  fly  induces  a  more  delicate  handling 

19 


of  the  rod,  and  the  finer  tackle  used  makes  it  imperative 
you  play  the  fish  with  the  utmost  caution  and  skill. 

On  the  other  hand  fishing  wet  has  none  of  these  finer 
qualities,  nor  is  your  interest  aroused  to  such  a  degree  in 
method  or  style.  Wet  fishing  with  several  nondescript  flies 
in  mid  or  bottom  water  is  just  a  chance  game  till  the  fish 
takes  the  fly.  Very  interesting,  but  it  can  be  made  doubly 
so,  and  should  be  improved  by  the  adoption  of  several  things 
— such  as  the  tapered  line  and  leader;  snells  tied  to  leaders 
by  a  knot  instead  of  loops;  by  the  use  of  flies  copied  from 
natural  insects. 

Wet  fishing  has  too  many  advantages  to  ignore  it  en- 
tirely, particularly  in  deep  swift  water,  where  the  fario  and 
irridius  always  attain  their  greatest  size — invariably  to 
haunt  the  deep  pools  utterly  oblivious  to  the  dry  fly,  rising 
to  insects  at  rare  intervals.  Wet  fishing  down  stream  in 
shallow  rapids  has  fruitful  results,  covering  as  you  can  with 
a  long  line  the  entire  stream  and  both  banks  on  wet  or 
windy  days.  The  best  results  attained  in  wet  fishing  are 
when  you  move  a  cast  of  flies  rapidly  through  a  runway,  or 
permit  it  to  travel  along  the  water  flow  near  the  surface  of 
the  runway.  The  controversy  has  not  been  settled,  many  wet 
fishermen  claim  the  wet  method  capture  the  most  fish.  But 
the  capture  of  fish  is  of  minor  importance.  The  true  sports- 
man angles  for  pleasure  in  the  game,  and  he  certainly  gets 
more  in  the  higher  art  of  fishing  with  a  dry  fly. 


20 


HOW  TO  FISH  THE  NYMPH 


The  New  Art  of  Nymph  Fishing  on  the  Bottom  for  Trout 

Trout  anglers  will  doubtless  be  pleased  to  learn  of  the 
latest  up  to  the  minute  details  of  this  new  method  as  prac- 
tised by  British  anglers  on  their  chalk  streams.  I  have  just 
learned  from  Mr.  Sherrington,  angling  editor  of  the  famous 
London  Field,  some  facts  concerning  the  new  art  of  nymph 
fishing — a  combination  of  dry  and  wet  fishing  that  reaches 
up  to  the  highest  form  in  the  angler's  art — which  I  shall 
briefly  describe  what  little  is  known,  as  yet. 

While  our  own  outdoor  magazines  continue  to  beat  the 
big  drum  about  worms,  plugs,  bugs  and  hogskin,  with  pic- 
tures of  trout  and  bass  to  prove  their  efficiency,  they  and 
their  readers  still  remain  utterly  in  the  dark  concerning  the 
rapid  strides  now  being  made  in  the  higher  art  of  fly 
fishing. 

It  must  first  be  understood  that  British  chalk  streams 
are  situated  in  the  south  of  England,  running  between  rich, 
fertile  chalk  hills  that  filter  the  water  clear  as  crystal.  These 
meadow  streams  are  deep,  slow  moving,  inducing  a  thick 
abundant  growth  of  aquatic  plants  and  weeds,  which  pro- 
vide a  vast  amount  of  trout  food.  The  most  famous  streams 
are  the  Itchen,  Test  and  Avon,  all  in  the  county  of  Hamp- 
shire, where  most  of  the  British  expert  trout  anglers  prac- 
tise dry  fly  fishing. 

American  and  Canadian  trout  streams  are  entirely  differ- 
ent in  character,  being  almost  invariably  rapid,  usually  shal- 
low, to  run  over  stony  or  sandy  beds,  without  aquatic 
growth.  For  that  reason  my  own  practice  in  nymph  fishing 
for  trout  must  of  necessity  be  modified  to  meet  American 

21 


trout  stream  conditions  and  the  insects  that  breed  in  them. 
The  discerning  angler  knows  that  the  nymph  is  in  a  transi- 
tory state  between  the  river  bed  creeper  and  the  adult  trout 
insect — known  as  "drakes."  Each  one  of  the  millions  that 
rise  must  ascend  through  midwater  to  the  surface,  during 
which  time  the  alert  trout  gorge  and  feed  on  them  in  transit. 
They  are  wingless,  with  fat,  luscious  bodies,  varied  in  size 
and  color,  according  to  the  species,  the  greater  part  having 
a  pale,  yellowish  tint,  some  quite  pink  and  others  black  or 
dark  gray. 

Drake  creepers,  indeed  all  aquatic  insects,  while  in  the 
creeper  state  are  not  available  as  food  for  trout  because 
they  are  out  of  sight,  burrowing  in  the  mud  or  sandy  bottom 
from  three  to  eighteen  inches  deep  below  the  water. 

Thus  it  is  that  nymphs  of  insects  are  hatched  on  the 
bottom  throughout  the  trout  season,  and  by  their  daily  ap- 
pearance traveling  through  the  water  to  the  surface  furnish 
abundant  natural  food  just  close  to  where  trout  abide,  so 
that  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  to  find  trout  at  different  periods 
unresponsive  to  our  dry  flies  cast  on  the  surface,  or  even 
our  wet  flies  played  just  under  the  surface. 

Trout  are  then  feeding  on  these  wingless  nymphs,  the 
winged  artificial  fly  is  not  then  attractive  to  trout.  Such  is 
the  condition  that  this  new  art  of  nymph  fishing  has  been 
developed  to  meet,  and  from  my  own  tests  I  believe  it  will 
rapidly  become  a  popular  method  with  all  the  fly  casters 
after  they  acquire  the  necessary  skill  and  learn  which  nymph 
to  use  and  the  right  way  to  play  it.  Anglers  will  learn  more 
by  their  own  practice  than  by  precept,  or  anything  described 
to  them,  outside  the  method  and  tools  required.  It  is  best 
to  use  dry  fly  tackle  for  nymph  fishing,  although  you  fish 
from  the  bottom  up,  at  times  the  surface  cast  will  get  a  rise. 

Wm.  Mills  &  Son,  New  York,  carries  in  stock  several 
imported  nymphs,  one  of  which  has  a  pink  body  that  is  said 
to  have  proved  effective  on  our  streams.  The  firm  also  has 
three  of  Louis  Rhead's  new  correct  imitations  of  the  natural 
nymph  found  in  Pennsylvania  and  Catskill  streams.  One, 
made  in  yellow,  is  in  imitation  of  the  gray  drake  creeper 

22 


and  others  of  a  similar  color,  but  smaller  in  size.  Another 
is  a  general  tone  of  pink  to  imitate  several  insect  creepers 
that  have  the  body  of  a  pink  or  red  orange  color.  The 
third  is  in  black  and  silver  to  imitate  the  creepers  of  the  black 
dose,  chocolate,  marsh  brown  and  other  species  with  bodies 
dark  in  color,  which  are  more  abundant  later  in  the  season. 

Many  anglers  succeeded  in  getting  trout  on  my  yellow 
and  black  nymphs  during  the  last  three  seasons ;  quite  a  few 
suggested  a  change  from  a  long  shank  hook  to  a  short  one, 
same  size  as  the  No.  6  dry  fly  hook.  Both  long  and  short 
are  good,  according  to  depth  of  water,  the  short  shank  being 
best  suited  to  shallow  water. 

While  testing  the  new  nymphs  late  this  fall  I  found  it 
best  to  use  a  detachable  weighted  snell  to  have  the  nymph 
drop  quickly  to  the  bottom.  Cut  off  an  old  fly  from  a  loose 
snell  and  at  the  end  fasten  on  a  single  bird  shot,  then  fasten 
the  snell  to  first  knot  of  leader,  about  ten  inches  up.  If  the 
leader  is  bent  into  a  position  to  allow  the  nymph  to  float 
away  with  water  flow  and  the  lead  end  of  line  on  the  bottom 
the  position  is  right,  with  "lifts"  very  slow  to  the  surface, 
then  back,  and  repeated  several  times  you  get  a  fair  imitation 
of  nymphs  rising  to  the  surface.  Should  it  happen  you  see 
a  rise  or  you  wish  to  play  the  nymph  dry  fly  fashion,  you 
unslip  the  leader  snell  loop  off  the  leader,  to  leave  the  nymph 
at  end  of  leader. 

I  can  predict  a  quick  rise  in  popular  esteem  for  nymph 
fishing  at  opening  of  the  season,  in  place  of  the  old  style 
worm  fishing. 

Nymph  fishing  at  the  bottom  requires  that  you  cast  down 
stream,  the  best  places  being  along  runways,  in  about  three 
or  four  feet  of  water — indeed,  the  deeper  the  water  the 
chances  are  more  favorable.  Nymph  creepers  never  abide 
in  the  shallows,  especially  if  the  water  is  swift;  slow  moving 
waters  are  the  best  places  to  make  your  casts,  which  need 
not  be  over  twenty-five  feet  from  you. 

23 


To  play  the  nymph  dry  fly  fashion  you  must  cast  up 
stream  in  similar  situations.  Wet  fishermen  unfamiliar  with 
dry  methods  can  learn  it  with  very  little  practice  as  described 
in  a  previous  chapter  on  casting. 

It  has  already  been  stated  the  nymph  would  quickly  sup- 
plant the  worm.  It  will  do  more  than  that — taking  a  dis- 
tinctly important  part  of  the  craft  to  enable  you  to  get  trout 
when  neither  flies,  nor  worms  will  do  so.  For  bottom  fish- 
ing it  is  not  necessary  to  use  a  single  nymph  on  the  leader — 
two  or  even  four  can  be  tied  on  at  the  same  time,  they  should 
all  be  of  different  size  and  color,  to  do  so  you  follow  nature, 
which  at  times  furnishes  many  species  of  creepers  to  appear 
simultaneously. 

Within  the  short  period  that  I  learned  of  the  British 
method  I  have  not  had  much  opportunity  to  make  con- 
clusive tests.  Trout  anglers  themselves  must  take  a  hand 
to  make  the  method  perfect  in  this  country,  just  as  I  endeavor 
to  do.  I  can  copy  exactly  from  the  natural  creeper  and  insect 
a  perfect  artificial  imitation,  which  should  in  particular  be 
tested  in  Canadian  and  Maine  waters  where  the  largest  trout 
are  available.  British  nymphs  are  exceedingly  small,  far  too 
small  for  my  choice,  and  while  I  stated  they  are  wingless- 
all  are  tied  with  a  tiny  pair  of  undeveloped  wings  about  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  that  lie  flat  on  the  shoulder. 

The  bodies  are  all  thick  and  hairy — in  fact,  any  of  our 
popular  flies  with  wings  pulled  off  will  make  some  sort  of 
a  nymph  if  the  body  is  fat  and  the  hackle  bushy.  I  am  not 
as  yet  sure,  but  I  surmise  that  the  right  method  of  fishing 
nymphs  will  prove  more  effective  to  get  trout  than  any  par- 
ticular kind  of  nymph — in  other  words,  there  is  little  choice 
between  them.  The  more  important  thing  is  to  have  the 
nymph  wiggle  slowly  from  the  bottom  up  to  the  surface  then 
back  again.  At  the  slightest  touch  made  by  the  trout  be 
alert  to  jerk  the  wrist  quickly;  the  remaining  work  to  be 
done  is  exactly  like  playing  a  fish  on  a  fly. 

Every  angler  knows  of  the  danger  from  sunken  baits  get- 
ting snagged  in  fishing  the  rough  stony  bed  of  our  streams, 

24 


for  that  reason  use  very  small  shot  placed  one  above  the 
other,  according  to  the  force  of  the  water.  Such  small  shots 
on  the  leader  are  not  considered  dangerous  by  the  trout. 
A  large  shot  is  bound  to  get  fast  between  the  stones  to  cause 
no  end  of  trouble  and  loss  of  time.  Water  of  medium  force 
will  carry  a  light  lead  along,  sometimes  floating  it  ten  to 
fifteen  inches  from  the  bottom.  In  quiet  pools,  one  shot  is 
more  than  enough,  and  the  "lifts"  can  be  worked  perfectly 
natural  with  the  rod  tip. 

Early  in  the  season  streams  are  usually  very  full,  with 
strong  currents,  so  that  heavier  sinkers  are  required.  A 
good  place  to  drop  the  lead  is  between  two  eddies  just  below 
a  half  submerged  rock,  the  favorite  haunts  of  big  browns 
and  rainbows.  For  small  brook  trout  of  nine  or  ten  inches 
that  prefer  the  rifts  and  shallow,  swift  waters,  the  lead  should 
be  allowed  to  run  along  fifty  or  more  feet  ahead,  then 
worked  from  side  to  side  reeling  slowly  backward.  In  such 
water  late  this  season  I  was  very  successful  to  hook  several 
doubles  by  placing  an  extra  small  size  trout  helgramite  at 
the  end  of  leader  with  two  nymphs  placed  above,  fishing  in 
much  the  same  manner  as  the  wet  angler  fishes  his  three 
flies. 

In  lakes  where  trout  lie  deep  longer  size  nymphs  are  best 
— use  three  on  the  leader — first  casting  to  likely  places,  then, 
with  slightly  heavier  sinker,  try  very  slow  trolling  so  that 
the  nymphs  travel  along  as  near  the  bottom  as  you  can. 

The  art  of  nymph  fishing  is  not  intended  to  replace  fly 
fishing,  but  rather  a  change  of  method  and  new  lures  never 
before  thought  of,  to  entice  trout  only  when  they  won't  take 
flies.  You  will  find  it  a  most  desirable  substitute  for  that 
disagreeable  and  dirty  habit  of  fishing  with  a  worm.  Don't 
imagine,  brother  angler,  your  worming  companion  is  going 
to  do  better  than  you.  He  will  get  catfish,  eels,  sunfish, 
perch  and  chubs,  but  you  will  get  the  trout.  The  worm 
fisher  rarely  succeeds  better  than  the  fly  fisher  who  under- 
stands his  methods  fully  and  fishes  with  reasonable  intelli- 
gence. Aside  from  that  you  are  a  far  better  sportsman 

25 


with  flies  or  nymphs  and  your  success  with  them  is  a  personal 
achievement  of  real  worth. 

To  those  anglers  who  are  amateur  or  expert  in  the  art 
of  fly  tying  I  would  strongly  advise  them,  study  nymphs. 
Get  a  few  for  patterns  and  tie  some  for  their  own  use. 
Nymphs  are  more  easily  made,  and  should  they  happen 
to  construct  several  killers  the  triumph  can  be  enjoyed  with 
keen  relish. 

My  sole  object  in  introducing  this  new  lure  is  to  furnish 
the  more  thoughtful  angler  with  a  subject  that  leads  him  to 
angling  of  a  better  sort,  to  follow  it  up  in  study  of  aquatic 
insects  and  most  interesting  study  of  trout  food.  The  angler 
who  fishes  alone  for  fish  has  no  conception  what  the  real  art 
of  angling  is  or  the  personal  delight  the  student  of  nature 
enjoys. 

Dry  fly  fishing  created  quite  a  rumpus  among  our  anglers 
several  years  ago  because  it  was  something  new,  and  really 
an  advance  in  the  art  of  angling.  I  have  met  quite  a  number 
of  anglers  on  various  streams  this  last  few  years,  and  the 
burden  of  their  talk  is  mostly:  "I  fish  nothing  but  the 
dry  fly."  "And  do  you  succeed  better  than  by  the  old  wet 
style?"  The  answer  is  usually:  "Well,  yes,  I  get  bigger 
fish  and  certainly  have  more  fun  in  the  game."  All  these 
answers  correspond  exactly  with  my  own  experience,  though 
I  don't  entirely  drop  wet  fishing  or  even  artificial  lure  fish- 
ing. The  artistic  temperament  requires  a  change  now  and 
then,  especially  in  so  uncertain  a  pastime  as  fishing  for  trout. 

As  an  example  of  the  uncertainty  mentioned,  I  was  fish- 
ing at  the  end  of  this  last  May  with  two  Brooklyn  friends, 
father  and  son,  in  that  splendid  Beaverkill  pool  known  as 
"Buck  Eddy."  While  we  were  preparing  to  fish  there  came 
down  a  splendid  rise  of  march  browns,  and  the  pool  for 
fifty  yards  was  soon  a  boiling  mass  of  trout.  The  young 
fellow  was  so  excited  as  to  exclaim:  "I'll  bet  there  are  five 
hundred  fish  jumping."  There  certainly  were  at  least  sev- 
enty trout  from  ten  to  eighteen  inches  long. 

Unfortunately  I  was  that  day  fishing  exclusively  arti- 
ficial lures,  and  for  the  entire  half  hour  of  the  rise  I  only 

26 


hooked  one  rainbow.  My  companions  with  wet  flies  hooked 
but  one  fish.  Had  we  been  provided  with  dry  fly  tackle 
and  a  dry  march  brown  on  the  leader,  fishing  up  the  pool, 
it  is  possible  we  should  have  bagged  six  brace  of  fish  each. 
I  say  "possible" — it  might  have  been  none  at  all.  I  have 
experienced  these  remarkable  glut  rises  many  times,  es- 
pecially of  the  shad  fly,  and  many  times  failed  before  I 
learned  the  art  of  fishing  the  dry  fly.  A  nicely  cocked  march 
brown  floating  down  alongside  the  natural  insects  surely 
does  the  trick,  and  I  know  the  same  things  will  happen  with 
nymphs — when  they,  too,  rise  in  great  numbers. 

BOTTOM  LURES  FOR  TROUT 

Before  concluding  the  subject  of  the  nymph  as  a  bottom 
bait  perhaps  trout  anglers  will  be  interested  to  know  of  sev- 
eral other  new  trout  baits  that  I  discovered  and  introduced 
which  have  already  become  favorite  lures  with  a  great 
many  expert  anglers  fishing  far  Western  streams,  also  in 
Canada  and  Maine.  I  allude  to  the  little  trout  helgramite, 
the  caddis  creeper,  a  tiny  crawfish  and  cricket.  With  the 
exception  of  the  cricket  all  are  fished  at  the  bottom,  where 
the  natural  creatures  they  correctly  imitate  abide. 

Only  within  the  last  few  weeks  I  came  across  an  ex- 
tremely interesting  article  printed  in  the  first  "report"  of  the 
Fish  and  Game  Commission  of  New  York  State,  written  by 
my  old  friend,  the  late  Nelson  A.  Cheney,  on  "Natural  Food 
of  Trout." 

Every  angler  should  read  it,  I'm  sure  they  will  have 
great  benefit  from  its  perusal.  Among  other  things  he  men- 
tions: "While  expert  fishers  have  for  centuries  been  de- 
voting all  their  energies  to  the  fly  alone  as  a  lure  for  trout, 
they  forgot,  or  perhaps  were  not  aware  of  the  many  bottom 
creatures  serving  as  food  for  trout  that  could  be  made  of 
practical  use  either  as  natural  baits  or  fair  imitations  of 
them."  Strangely  enough,  he  mentions  two  creepers  that  I 
have  since  made  artificial  imitators  of  that  have  proved 
effective  lures,  without  my  knowing  of  his  suggestions.  The 
most  popular  of  these  trout  lures  is  the  little  trout  helgramite, 

27 


the  creeper  of  a  species  of  stone  fly.  It  furnishes  consider- 
able food  for  brook  trout  in  the  early  spring  while  creeping 
along  over  the  pebbles  from  midstream  to  the  shore,  where 
it  crawls  up  stones  or  vegetation  to  change  into  the  winged 
insect.  Not  only  have  I  caught  on  it  the  three  trout 
species,  rainbows,  browns  and  natives,  but  many  other  fish 
take  it — chub,  dace,  perch,  bass,  pickerel  and  even  eels. 

All  this  goes  to  show  that  heretofore  by  confining  our 
efforts  to  the  surface,  or  near  to  it,  with  flies,  minnows- and 
worms,  we  missed,  we  entirely  ignored,  the  very  situation 
where  trout  habitually  lie,  viz.,  the  bottom,  only  at  times 
darting  upward  for  surface  food  and  immediately  returning 
to  the  bottom.  It  is  therefore  apparent  that  we  should 
modify  our  fishing,  and  each  individual  angler  should  en- 
deavor to  develop  methods  to  place  before  the  trout  a  lure, 
natural  or  artificial,  like  that  upon  which  it  is  then  feeding. 
If  you  play  the  lure  with  a  fair  degree  of  skill  where  trout 
lie  you  are  bound  to  capture  it,  especially  so  at  seasons  when 
trout  won't  take  flies. 

Personally  I  much  prefer  fly  fishing,  dry  and  wet,  and 
if  I  cannot  do  that  I  most  certainly  won't  dig  worms.  Such 
business  can  be  left  for  the  young  kiddies,  who  are  aware 
of  nothing  better.  In  past  years  I  have  lost  a  good  deal  of 
sport,  many  a  time  when  trout  were  amiably  inclined.  I 
have  forced  myself  from  the  fun  of  catching  them  to  sit  by 
the  riverside  to  make  drawings  of  the  particular  food  they 
were  eating.  I  am  now  and  shall  in  the  future  get  the 
reward  for  my  patience  in  the  extra  pleasure  of  fishing  a 
new  and  better  style,  and  much  better  results.  I  also  ardently 
desire  that  other  anglers  shall  share  in  it — by  making  and 
using  their  own  lures  and  baits  in  a  sane  and  rational 
manner. 

This  August  I  was  fishing  with  a  young  friend  in  rather 
wild  water  in  the  lower  Beaverkill  for  bass  with  very  poor  luck. 
Whether  the  bass  had  gone  back  to  the  Delaware  or  what- 
ever the  cause,  we  got  no  fish.  In  casting  out  to  a  swift  run- 
way my  friend  hooked  a  nice  large  fish.  After  considerable 
play,  both1  in  and  out  of  the  water,  he  shouted  across,  "It's 

28 


a  rainbow."  "What  lure?"  I  asked.  He  replied,  UA  little 
artificial  crawfish."  I  was  sure  he  would  land  the  trout 
because  the  bait  had  a  good,  stout  sneck  hook  to  hold. 

This  success  gave  me  considerable  pleasure  because  the 
lure  was  made  for  bass,  and  the  capture  of  a  good  sized 
rainbow  was  a  feat  of  additional  satisfaction,  having  pre- 
viously captured  the  bass  on  the  same  little  bait.  The  craw- 
fish was  allowed  to  go  anywhere  with  the  water  flow  and, 
passing  over  the  fish,  possibly  near  the  bottom,  it  succeeded 
where  a  cast  of  flies  would  have  surely  failed.  I  mention 
this  as  one  of  many  instances  to  prove  how  important  bot- 
tom fishing  is  to  furnish  sport  when  results  are  poor  under 
ordinary  fly  fishing  methods. 

Fishing  conditions  in  England  are  so  different  from  our 
own  we  cannot  always  adapt  their  new  ideas  and  sugges- 
tions as  to  methods,  although  I  am  conscious  of  the  fact 
they  have  always  been  ahead  of  other  countries  in  the  fine 
art  of  fishing — indeed,  almost  every  outdoor  sport.  In  the 
problem  of  scientific  study  of  new  methods  to  advance  the 
art  of  angling  they  are  pioneers  in  the  right  direction  that 
calls  forth  our  respectful  attention. 

To  recapitulate  the  chief  points.  I  want  ta  see  anglers 
getting  as  much  sport  and  fish  on  the  bottom  as  they 
do  by  fishing  the  surface.  To  make  their  trips  not  so  much 
fishing  for  fish  as  fishing  for  pleasure,  by  including  a  study 
of  fish  food,  fish  habits  and  general  nature  research  along 
a  trout  stream.  To  capture  and  land  many  fish  all  the  time 
would  become  wearisome,  especially  small  fish,  but  you  can 
take  a  just  pride  in  making  with  your  own  hands  an  artificial 
copy  of  the  food  trout  eat  and  with  it  deceive  and  capture 
the  wary,  adroit  antagonist,  which  is  something  worth  while. 

One  great  advantage  in  fishing  these  bottom  lures  is  that 
you  are  more  sure  to  get  the  large  sized  fish  than  small 
ones,  and  the  method  is  so  easy  and  simple  as  to  make  your 
day's  fishing  a  delightful  experience,  and  more  often  a  fuller 
creel  of  trout. 

Several  letters  have  been  received  from  anglers  who 
have  difficulties  to  get  trout  in  the  waters  they  fish,  and  they 

29 


think  nymph  fishing  will  exactly  solve  the  problem.  The 
same  difficulty  is  everywhere  apparent,  and  in  Catskill 
streams,  like  Esopus  and  Beaverkill,  there  are  pools  I  know 
for  certain  contain  many  large  fish;  there  were  times  when 
the  devil  himself  seemed  to  have  a  hand  in  preventing  every 
angler,  expert  or  duffer,  from  getting  even  a  "sign"  of  a 
trout.  I  know  a  Scotch  angler,  a  splendid  fly  caster,  whom 
I  met  on  the  stream  fishing  a  gob  of  worms  nearly  as  large 
as  his  fist.  "Bob,"  said  I,  "what  on  earth  are  you  trying 
to  get?"  His  reply  was,  "I'm  sick  of  casting  flies,  which 
I've  stuck  in  my  hat,  and  I  hope  to  choke  them  with  meat." 
Just  to  tease  him,  from  across  the  stream  I  held  up  two  nice 
fish  from  my  creel,  which  made  him  yell  across,  "Oh,  go 
to  that  region  where  they  don't  have  to  use  coal." 

Just  a  final  word  concerning  the  rig  for  nymphs.  Be 
sure  to  use  a  nice  tapered  leader  with  the  nymphs  tied  neatly, 
and  it  is  far  better  to  have  any  number  of  very  small  shot 
than  one  or  two  large  sinkers — for  two  reasons,  the  large 
sinker  gets  fouled  in  the  pebbles  and  scares  the  fish.  Try 
to  place  the  nymph  where  you  think  trout  lie;  don't  let  it 
stay  in  one  place;  lift  it  slowly  up  several  times;  then  move 
to  another  situation.  If  trout  do  not  take  the  nymph  after 
two  or  three  lifts  they  are  either  not  inclined  or  are  not 
there.  Use  small  sized  nymphs  early  in  the  season,  either 
pink,  yellow  or  any  light  color.  Early  in  May  the  larger 
size  yellow  or  dark  color  should  be  tried.  One  of  my  corre- 
spondents writes:  "I  would  rather  fish  the  nymph  up 
stream  because  I  can  get  much  nearer  the  trout — in  fact,  I 
could  drop  it  nicely  nine  feet  ahead  right  over  the  trout's 


nose." 


Personally  I  like  best  to  wade  right  down  stream  cast- 
ing forward  to  each  bank,  then  lead  the  nymph  in  slow 
moves  toward  the  middle.  In  slow  running  river  deep  pools 
a  light  float  will  assist  in  carrying  the  nymph  along  the  bot- 
tom, where  you  cannot  always  wade  or  reach  in  casting. 
The  float  keeps  up  the  line,  especially  in  lake  fishing.  Of 
course,  it  is  important  to  have  the  float  adjusted  to  the  right 
depth  of  water,  viz.,  the  nymph  to  be  from  six  to  twelve 

30 


inches  from  the  bed  of  the  water.  Chuck  out  for  good  the 
dirty  worm  and  make  a  trial  of  a  better  style — that  is,  bot- 
tom fishing  with  nymphs  and  other  lures. 


Natural   Dun   Fly 


Natural  Nymph  Creeper 
31 


DRY   FLY   EQUIPMENT 

RODS     H'   L'   Leonard   Tournament   Catskill    Fly  Rod,   8   feet   long,   3^ 
to  3^4  ounces,  is  a  model  very  much  favored  by  expert  American 
dry  fly  anglers;  it  is  plenty  strong  and  powerful  enough  for  the  general 
run  of  stream  angling. 

The  H.  L.  Leonard  Tournament  Fly  Rod,  9  feet,  4*/2  to  4^4  ounces, 
is  an  old  favorite  and  is  particularly  suitable  for  large  stream  and  lake 
fishing;  it  is  used  extensively  in  England  and  France  by  dry  fly  anglers. 

William  Mills  &  Sons'  "Standard"  Fly  Rod,  9  feet  long,  5  ounces,  is 
a  serviceable  dry  fly  rod;  also  the  8  feet  rod,  weighing  4l/2  ounces,  is 
suitable  for  this  style  of  angling. 

"Nonpareil"  Rod,  9  feet  long,  Sl/2  ounces,  and  also  the  8  feet,  4*/2 
ounce  rod,  are  suitable  for  dry  fly  work. 

"Peerless"  Rod,  9  feet,  5l/2  ounces,  or  8  feet,  4^2  ounces. 

"Paragon"  Rod,  9  feet,  5>)4  ounces,  or  8  feet,  4^4  ounces. 

The  above  list  includes  rods  of  all  grades,  from  the  best  at  $50  each 
to  the  cheapest  grade  that  will  do  satisfactory  work  at  $9.50  each. 
REELS       H-  L-  Leonard  style,  3  or  Zl/2  inches  diameter. 

William  Mills   &  Sons'   "Kennett,"   an   English  type   reel   with 
revolving  plate,  made  of  aluminum. 

"Neversink"  Reel,  rubber  and  nickel  silver. 

"Cresco"  Reel,   an  American  made  revolving  plate  reel. 

All  the  above  reels  are  made  in  the  narrow  style  that  allows  quick 
winding  of  line;  prices  from  $25.00  to  $6.50  each. 

LINE     ^  ^s  very  necessary,  to  be  successful  in  fly  casting,  that  your  line 
be  of  proper  weight  to  balance  your  rod.     If,  when  ordering  line, 
you  specify  the  make  and  weight  of   rod,   we  can  furnish   line  suitable 
for  it. 

For  rods  weighing  from  Zl/2  to  4^4  ounces  the  proper  lines  to  use  are 
E  tapered  and  F  level. 

For  rods  weighing  from  4^4  to  5%  ounces  the  proper  lines  to  use  are 
E  or  D  tapered  or  E  level. 

In  making  short  casts  such  as  are  used  in  this  style  of  fishing,  you 
need  a  line  one  size  larger  than  ordinarily  used  on  your  rod  for  the  down 
stream  fishing,  as  the  shortness  of  line  out  makes  it  imperative,  in 
order  to  get  the  rod  to  cast  properly,  that  the  line  should  be  heavy, 

William  Mills  &  Sons'  "Intrinsic"  or  soft  finish  lines  run  in  price 
from  $7.00  to  $9.00;  their  "Imperial"  or  harder  finish  line  runs  from 
$3.00  to  $5.00  in  price. 

I  FADER     The  "eader  usec*  should  be  about  7l/2  feet  long,  heavy  at  the 

line   end    and  tapered   quickly  to   light   at   the  fly  end.     It  is 

usual  in  this  style  of  fishing  to  use  only  one  fly,  but  for  those  who  desire 

it  we  have  dry  fly  leaders  tied  with  a  piece  of  gut  to  use  for  dropper  fly. 

The  best  grade  dry  flies  are  invariably  tied  on  eyed  hooks  and 
FLIES     not  on  gut> 

ACCESSORIES  The  ^ry  ^v  ^sner  refluires  a  bottle  of  "Floatine"  in 
Al,l,£odUKlEo  order  to  make  his  flies  float  properly  in  quick-running 
water,  and  it  is  also  desirable  to  have  an  atomizer  with  which  to  spray 
the  flies,  so  as  not  to  ruffle  the  wings  or  hackles.  A  gut  cutter  or  pair  of 
scissors  is  also  most  necessary  because,  in  changing  the  fly  the  gut  is  cut 
and  another  fly  tied  on. 

"Mucilin"  for  making  line  float  and  line  greaser  for  applying  same. 


LOUIS  RHEAD'S  NEW  BOOK 

FISHERMAN'S  LURES  and 
GAME  FISH  FOOD 


CONTAINS  colored  pictures  from  life 
of  all  minnows  and  other  creatures 
that  game  fish  eat,  with  exact  artificial 
imitation  lures  in  color — give  illustrated 
lessons  how  to  make  your  own  lures — how, 
when  and  where  to  use  them  by  a  new 
advanced  method  in  the  finer  art  of 
angling.  Chart  maps  to  show  where  fish 
feed  in  lakes  and  running  streams  as  a 
guide  to  where  anglers  should  cast  their 
lures.  Valuable  information  never  before 
given  to  anglers.  Price  $4.00. 


American    Trout-Stream     Insects 

Now  ready.  Price  $3.50.  Contains  beauti- 
ful colored  plates  from  life  of  over  100  of 
the  most  abundant  insects  that  trout  con- 
sume as  food  during  the  entire  season,  with 
charts  and  full  instructions  how  to  use  the 
artificial  imitations,  lessons  how  to  tie  arti- 
ficial flies  and  how  best  to  use  them  in  the 
latest  dry  and  wet  methods.  The  first  and 
only  work  on  this  subject. 

Book    of    Fish    and    Fishing — Now 

ready.  Price  $1.50.  A  complete  compen- 
dium of  practical  advice  to  guide  those  who 
angle  for  ALL  FISHES  in  fresh  and  salt 
water;  copiously  illustrated,  with  pictures 
of  every  game  fish.  The  best  all-around 
informing  anglers'  book  ever  issued. 


FISHING 

NlDEEB 
ATER 


Sent 
Postpaid 

on 
Receipt 

of 
Price 


YB   103 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 
LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below  or 
^n  the  date  to  which  renewed 

recall. 


LD  2lA-50m-9,'58 
(6889slO)476B 


.General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


